Ryder Cup: Europe win 40th Ryder Cup in emphatic style
Team Europe won the 40th Ryder Cup with an emphatic 16.5-11.5 victory at Gleneagles today.
It fell to Welshman Jamie Donaldson, playing in his first Ryder Cup, to secure the win over Keegan Bradley with a wedge to within two feet on the 15th.
“It’s hard to describe how good it is,” said the Pontypridd man. “There’s nothing else like it in golf. It’s a total one-off and it’s amazing to be a part of it.
“I hit the wedge shot of my life to close the game out. I can’t put words to it, it’s unbelievable.”
Captain Paul McGinley had warned against complacency and called for concentration from his players, but there was also a degree of comfort in what Europe did in the final day.
The Irishman was roundly praised by his players for his team management and said: “As captain it’s been a real honour to lead these 12 players. It has been a huge team effort.”
He praised Donaldson for his part in the victory and said: “He has been groomed by Lee Westwood and I think he is going to win the lot.”
The day started 10-6, as it had at Medinah two years ago. But despite their best efforts, there was to be no epic comeback by the Americans.
A dejected Tom Watson said: “Early in the match we were exactly where we wanted to be, they just couldn’t keep it going. I have to give credit to the European team, they played better than we did. We came in here thinking we could beat them and it just didn’t work out that way.”
"I hit the wedge shot of my life"
American youngster Jordan Spieth, who had played so well in the pairings with Patrick Reed, was given the honour of kicking off the final day’s play. But G-Mac has seen it all before and despite falling behind early on, consecutive birdies between the 10th-14th secured the Scotsman a Ryder Cup point.
Rory proved his class and despite setting off third, his was the first point returned on the board, defeating Rickie Fowler 5&4 to post the biggest score margin of the day.
“I know what’s expected of me,” said the world number one, who had lost his first match on Saturday. “But I knew I would go out there and deliver points and personally for me it puts the icing on the cake of what’s been a fantastic summer.”
Stephen Gallagher’s baptism of fire in the Ryder Cup ended with a singles match against Phil Mickleson. The local boy didn’t have the impact he would have hoped for, but Gallagher said: “It has been an awesome experience for me and something I will cherish forever.”
Dubuisson and Johnson were the forgotten men on the course, both parring the first 10 holes. The Frenchman has had a quiet tournament, bringing up the rear in anchor matches throughout the weekend, but he was able to secure the final point, ensuring a spectacular Ryder Cup ended in style for the Europeans.
